1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rule-based document generation systems for generating customized documents from document templates. In particular, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to generating customized documents using predetermined elements of content for possible use when generating a customized document and associated rules for determining the use to be made of the predetermined elements of content when generating a customized document.
2. Description of the Related Art
Manual and computer-implemented approaches to generating customized documents from document precedents or templates are known.
Manual approaches typically involve starting with a written or printed standard form document (such as a standard form contract or other legal precedent) and filling in any missing information (such as the names of the parties) as well as deciding whether to include any optional portions or choosing between alternative portions (such as optional or alternative contract clauses) to create the final customized document. Some standard form documents include instructions to help the creator of the customized document fill in any missing information and decide what to do with any optional or alternative portions.
Computer-implemented approaches to document generation are becoming increasingly important. Computer-implemented document generation systems often use electronically stored document templates comprising predetermined elements of content (such as the text of standard form contract clauses) for possible use when generating a customized document and, associated with the predetermined elements of content, electronically stored rules (such as logical rules, criteria or formulae which depend on the value of unknown variables) for determining the use to be made of the predetermined elements of content when generating a customized document.
A known document generation system which adopts this approach is described in International Publication Number WO 01/04772 in the name of the present applicants, Business Integrity Ltd. According to this system, a server computer runs a document generation program and is capable of communicating with local or remote client computers over a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet. A standard document, comprising units of known information and associated logical rules, is first translated into a form suitable for processing by the document generation program. When instructed to generate a customized document, the server first generates one or more Web pages which are sent to client computers for user input of the further information required to evaluate the logical rules. Users may then submit the further information to the server. Once all the required further information has been captured, the server generates a customized document on the basis of the standard document and received further information.
One problem with document generation systems following the above approach is that all the further information required to generate a customized document may not be available from one particular source at one particular time. In other words, there may be several different items of required information and these may be 1) available only from different sources—for example from different people, databases or expert systems—or 2) available only at different times. International Publication Number WO 01/04772 provides a solution to this problem by allowing information to be captured from different sources at different times using several Web pages.                European Patent Specifications EP 0475964 B1 and EP 0481995 B1 concern related inventions. EP 0475964 B1 describes a document generation system and EP 0481995 B1 describes an expert system. Both specifications describe a concept of “don't know” values in which users may provide “don't know” as a possible input to the system in response to a query for further information required to evaluate a term (ie a variable). This is achieved by adding a predefined value “don't know” to the class of values which may be accepted by the system. The concept of “don't know dependencies” is also described. Terms which are dependent on other terms which have the value “don't know” are i) evaluated to “don't know” if no value can be determined without the other term, or ii) estimated to the extent that some value can be determined without the other term. “Don't know values” and “don't know” dependencies allow partially customized documents to be generated despite insufficient information being provided to generate a fully customized document. Where a term (such as the phone number of a client) evaluates to “don't know”, the generated document includes the text “don't know” at the appropriate point.        
One problem with the document generation system described in European Patent Specifications EP 0475964 B1 and EP 0481995 B1 is that, while the provision of “don't know” values may be useful in the case where the information required is simply the value of term to be inserted in a generated document at an appropriate point, it is of limited use where the information required involves the election of one or more predetermined options or alternatives from a list, which election determines whether or not corresponding optional or alternative elements of content (such as contract clauses) are to be included in the generated document. In the latter cases, where a “don't know” value is returned, none of the corresponding elements of content are included in the generated document which may therefore be of very limited use.
Furthermore, the described document generation system does not distinguish between lists of options and alternatives in that in both cases the user must either provide a definite answer or “don't know” all the listed items whether options or alternatives. In the case of option lists, this may result in information which a user may be able to provide (such as definite answers to some but not all of the options) not being captured which is inefficient.
Moreover, with the document generation systems described in both International Publication Number WO 01/04772 and in European Patent Specifications EP 0475964 B1 and EP 0481995 B1, once a process to generate a customized document has been started, using a particular document generation system operating on a particular server or computer, the process must be continued to completion using that system. This has disadvantages in that the utility of the document generation systems and generated customized documents is decreased, and in that data security is an issue, particularly where data, such as potentially confidential information provided from multiple sources over a period of time, is held on a server connected to other computers over a LAN or WAN.